Best Longboards for Beginners in 2023

Longboarding has become one of the most entertaining sporting activities in the last few decades. Well, you need a longboard for longboarding. For beginners, a longboard is perfect rather than choosing a skateboard. If you are a starter in longboarding or skateboarding, you will need extra space on your board. Skateboards offer less space for you and sometimes you cannot perform stunts. Anyway, finding the perfect longboard for starters is like finding a needle in haste. That’s where we come in. In this article, we shall introduce you to some of the best longboards for beginners and give you a proper guidelines about longboards for beginner riders.

Top 5 Best Beginner Longboards:

As I have said earlier, finding the perfect beginner longboard is a tough job. There are dozens of longboard models currently available on the market. For this reason, people get confused. If you are a beginner in longboarding, the decision gets tougher. For this reason, we came up with 5 of the popular beginner longboards. We checked their features and customer review. The overall response was positive, and we think you can check them out if you like.

1. The Quest Super Cruiser Longboard

For beginner longboarders, the size matters the most. They need extra space while riding. Otherwise, they may feel uncomfortable while riding the longboard. Even they need a strong deck for they are not that skilled in avoiding casualties. The quest Quest super cruiser longboard is the perfect beginner longboard for any starters. The board has multi-ply hardwood maple and artisan bamboo construction. The board looks stunning. The bamboo and maple construction make the board both lightweight and durable. The 44 inches offer a lot of extra space for you. Beginners like to commute or cruise around. This longboard can be the perfect partner for you. With the 7 inches aluminum trucks along with ABEC 7 bearings wheels, the board can offer you a smooth riding experience.

2. VOLADOR 42 inches Complete Longboard

Good beginner longboards need to come as a full longboard. You cannot expect a beginner to assemble the longboard. I don’t mean that they cannot do it. All I mean is that they might face a problem. For beginners, this is one of the best longboards without a doubt. For the construction of the deck, 8 plies of maple were cold pressed together. Maple construction decks are durable. Not to mention, these boards are a little heavy. But this longboard is surprisingly lightweight. The drop-through board can absorb shocks and offer a lot of flex. The other hardware of this longboard is built using the finest quality materials. The graphic on the longboards looks stunning. Comes with adjustable 7 inches trucks and has durable wheels which work with ABEC 9 bearings. All the hardware is assembled accurately for you to get the best riding experience. For More Full Reviews Click Here!

3. Ten Toes Board Emporium Zed Bamboo Longboard

Suppose you are a beginner in longboarding and currently looking for a longboard at a moderate price. For strict budget buyers, the choice is not that difficult. You may need to sacrifice the stunning looks or additional features. But even with having a strict budget, you can get the perfect beginner longboard. I shall suggest you this longboard. The board may have a simple design. But the board will give you a classic feeling. Bamboo longboards are always lightweight. They are gaining popularity day by day. They use 8 plies of bamboo to construct the board’s deck. Comes with a top-notch which offers great control over your ride. You can ride on the streets freely without facing any problems. You will receive a complete longboard, and it has riser pads. The riser pad reduces vibration and offers a smooth riding experience for beginners.

4. Atom Drop Through longboard

Beginner longboard needs to be lightweight and durable. The board also needs to be stable. Generally, a beginner can perform cruising or commuting using their longboard. Choosing the best longboards for beginners is a hard nut to crack. For any beginner longboarder, The Atom drop through longboard is the perfect match. The longboard comes with a 41-inch drop-through deck. The deck is laminated using maple and looks gorgeous. You don’t even need to worry about wheel bites. The board offers a lot of space for the rider to place their foot. You shall receive a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer.

5. Playshion Drop Through Freestyle Cruise longboard

Beginner longboards need to be flexible and sturdy. Playshion Longboards make the best cruiser longboards in the market. Only 8 plies of maple wood are glued and pressed together to construct the deck. The board comes with a slight concave deck. So you don’t have to worry about placing your foot. You can adjust the trucks and the kingpin for your satisfaction. The drop-through mounting design makes the board easy to ride and avoids wheel bite. The ABEC-9 wheels come with oil and enable a smooth-riding operation. The whole board comes fully assembled and weighs around 7 pounds. You can choose 11 color variants according to your taste. The graphics look stunning.

Buyer Guideline For Purchasing a Beginner Longboard

Every pro longboarder had a time when they were beginners. Nobody comes perfect. They had to gather information and get a good view of the whole subject. So now you are a beginner in purchasing a longboard. The choice gets tougher and tougher for you. There is a lot of beginner longboard model out there available on the market. Which one to choose and which one to skip, becomes confusing. So, you need a proper guideline for this matter. The choice depends on you and you alone. You cannot expect to get a good idea without asking.

But we can help you with the proper guideline. Anyway, finding the best longboards for beginners is not that much of a big deal if you know about the product. You can purchase longboard from online shops or local retailers. The choice is yours. On the other hand, you can buy different parts of the longboard and assemble them by yourself. This is mainly a custom-made longboard. Or you can buy a popular model out there on the market. Whatever you do, you need to know about the hardware of the longboard. You also need to make some considerations in this case. We are going to guide you with this matter.

All you need to know about beginner longboard hardware

You need to know about the hardware to buy a beginner longboard. If you cannot identify the product, then you cannot purchase one. The deck, trucks, and wheels are the main hardware of a longboard. These parts have some of the features that you need to consider before buying. We are going to talk about them separately.

First, the longboard Deck

The deck is the place where you place your foot and propel the board. A deck of a longboard is the most important part of the longboard. You need to consider the construction of the deck, the design, and the style before purchasing a good beginner longboard.

• Deck construction:

Longboard decks are mainly made using maple or bamboo. Some manufacturer uses carbon fiber. Maple wood longboards are durable and long-lasting. On the other hand, bamboo decks are lightweight. Nowadays manufacturers use maple and bamboo hybrid construction. Going for the hybrid decks can be a good choice for you. These decks are both lightweight and strong.

• Deck length:

The deck length should be around 39 inches to 44 inches. You need a lot of space if you are a beginner at longboarding. Extra space helps you to place your foot on the board and receive a great riding experience.

• Deck concave:

Low concave decks are perfect for beginner longboarders. So, if you are a beginner in longboarding you should choose longboards that offer low concave.

• Deck style:

For beginners, there are two types of deck styles. The drop-through and the top-mounted deck. But the deck style depends on your riding style actually. Beginners can just cruise around with the longboard or go for free rides. Top-mounted longboards can avoid wheel bite and offer stability. The drop-through concave has a little low midpoint where you can get to know about your deck’s corners.

• Deck flex:

Mainly, there are 3 types of flex. First the soft flex. Soft flex longboard decks can absorb a lot of shocks. Second, we have the medium flex. These longboard decks are perfect to push or for curving. Last we have a high flex. High flex longboards cannot absorb a lot of shocks. This can often cause wheel bite. Mainly stunt performers choose high flex longboards. For beginners, I suggest the medium flex longboard.

Any beginning rider deserves a smooth ride. They need a longboard that absorbs a lot of shock for a considerable amount but not too much. Going for a medium flex longboard is the best choice here. It is true that you should choose the boards flex according to your riding style and the surface you ride on. But for beginners. Going for a longboard with medium flex is the best choice for any starter in longboarding. Beginners need a lot of shock absorption in order to ride smoothly. Going for the medium flex is a good choice in this case. 

Now with the trucks:

Trucks are a pair of equipment that sticks the wheel and deck together. The truck of a longboard is very important to enjoy a smooth ride and avoid wheel bite. You can avoid wheel bite and surf smoothly with the help of trucks. You need to check the kingpin and truck construction before purchasing a longboard for beginners.

• Truck construction:

Mainly the truck is made from aluminum. You will find metal trucks, but they can make the board a little heavy. Going for the aluminum trucks is a good choice in this case.

• Truck size:

You will find two sizes available for longboard trucks. One with the 180mm range and the other 150mm. If the beginner longboard deck’s width is 9 inches or more you can choose the 180mm version. But if the beginner longboards deck is a little slimmer, you can use the 150mm version.

For beginner longboards generally, you should go with the 180mm trucks.

• Truck kingpin:

Well, there are two types of kingpin: the standard kingpin and the reverse kingpin. Nowadays you will not see a truck with the standard kingpin. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not a rare sight to see standard kingpin on longboards.

Back in the old days, they used the standard kingpin on the trucks. You won’t see them around too much. Some manufacturer does use standard kingpin on the trucks. So, this is not a rare thing for the longboard. A standard kingpin offers less control over your curve or slide. This means, that when you make a turn, you will not get the response you want. Sliding or curving is not easy with the standard kingpin. Reverse kingpin, on the other hand, is responsive. You will get the perfect response whenever you make a turn or slide. Going for the reverse kingpin is the best choice. Every manufacturer now uses reverse kingpin in their longboards.

About beginner longboard wheels:

Wheels help the longboard propel freely. But the size, diameter, durometer, and wheel shape matter in finding the best longboards for beginners.

• Wheel size:

When we say the wheel size, we mean the diameter of the wheels.  You cannot use big wheels on smaller longboards. They might cause wheel bite. But you can use smaller wheels on larger longboards. Not a big deal.

For beginner longboards, if the longboard deck is large, the diameter of the longboard will be around 40 inches. For medium decks, the size should be around 34-42 inches. For smaller decks, the diameter should be around 34 inches. This depends on the deck size.

Medium size decks length is around 32 to 42 inches. But standard smaller deck length comes within 34 inches. The length of the longboard deck depends on the size of the board. For beginner longboarders, there is no specific size suggestion. You should choose the deck according to your physic.

• Wheel durometer:

The durometer of a wheel mainly refers to the hardness of the wheels. The durometer counting starts from 70A (super soft) to 90A (super hard). For beginner longboards, you need the wheels to be shock absorbent. Well, there is no special durometer suggestion for starter longboarders. You should choose the wheel’s hardness according to your weight. If your weight is around 135-175 lbs, you can go for 80A to 85A wheels. These are hard wheels. But if your weight is around or less than 135 lbs, you can choose 70A to 80A wheels. These are the soft wheels. For people with a lot of weight, I mean people weighing more than 175lbs can choose 85A to 90A wheels.

• Wheel bearings:

 Bearings are not that important. You can use any bearing in your longboard. Bearings help the longboard to operate smoothly. But the materials used to make the bearings are a crucial matter. Mainly the bearings get an ABEC rating. The ABEC rating gives us a view of the quality of the bearings. Normally, beginner longboard models available on the market come with ABEC-7 bearings.

Other Things To Consider Before Picking a Good Longboard

You now know about the hardware. But now you need to make some consideration. To buy a beginner longboard, you need to make some considerations. These considerations include the age limit, the weight capacity of the board, the price of the longboard, and other things. We are going to give a highlight on them.

• Age limit:

This may be sporting equipment but the age limits matter. You cannot ride on a longboard which is meant for a kid. A kid can ride on an adult longboard. But this can cause accidents. So, first, you need to choose for whom the longboard is.

• Weight and weight capacity:

The weight of the whole beginner longboard should be around 12 pounds at maximum. Well, many longboard weights capacities are always not specified. But you need to check out whether the longboard can hold your weight or not. If the longboard does not support your weight, you cannot enjoy a smooth ride.

• Spare part:

Finding spare parts is another key consideration. You cannot depend on the parts forever. They will get damaged one day or another. So, you need to check if the spare parts are available on the market or not. If you have purchased a pre-assembled longboard you need to ensure that if any parts get damaged, can you purchase the spare parts or not. If not, is there any alternative? Check them out.

• Warranty:

For any beginner, a warranty is important. But every manufacturer will not provide you with a warranty. But if you get one, check out the terms and policy.

• Price:

 Whatever the product may be, you need to check your pocket. It is the price that determines your product. Always remember that getting a longboard at a higher price does not indicate the quality. You can purchase a perfect longboard within a strict budget. But here’s one tip for you, search your longboard, according to your budget. If you have a strict budget you may have to sacrifice some features such as the graphic, deck construction, and some extra features. But hey! As long as you get a good longboard, those features do not matter too much.

FAQS

• Should a beginner purchase a longboard?

A beginner can choose a skateboard or a longboard. The choice is up to them. But going for a longboard is the better choice, I think. Longboard offers more space while riding and if the rider can learn skateboarding, he can perform stunts. On the bright side, if he wants a portable riding vehicle, he can choose a skateboard.

• Can a beginner perform a stunt?

Not from the very start. You cannot ask to paint without using any instrument or color. You need to practice for a few days to get the hang of it. If you can get the hang of it, you can easily perform stunts.

Final Verdict

Finding the best longboards for beginners can be a tough job. You love longboarding, and you are a beginner. The choice can be tough as you have no experience in buying beginner longboards. You do not have any friends or guidelines. So, you can get confused. Getting a proper guideline can ease the matter. In this beginner longboard content, we talked about 5 of the popular longboards available for you. After that, we talked about the hardware and some of the considerations you need to make before purchasing your own beginner longboard. Hope this will help you to find your perfect match.